History

Origin

Tom and his cousin Sean (Banshee) were rivals over a woman named Maeve Rourke. Maeve married Sean. However, her death seemed to revive their dislike for each other, not to mention Tom secretly raising Sean's daughter Theresa.[2]

Criminal

Tom became a criminal and came into conflict with the law and was apprehended. While serving time in prison, Tom met and befriended Juggernaut.

The X-Men initially clashed with Tom and Juggernaut at Cassidy Keep. He and Juggernaut were involved in many schemes. On one occasion Juggernaut sought to share his power with Tom, in essence creating two Juggernaut-like beings.[3]

Secondary Mutation

After being shot by Cable, Tom was taken to France, where doctors grafted a wood-like substance onto his wounds, healing him and allowing him to channel his bio-blasts directly through his fists. Unfortunately, due to a genetic virus the substance spread over Tom's body. He sought to use Deadpool's healing factor as a cure. He later attacked Sean and Generation X in a partially transformed state. He was defeated by Banshee, and the source of the plant was removed. However, when the X-Men later encountered Tom as part of the Brotherhood, he had become fully plantlike. Like the rest of the Brotherhood, Black Tom was sucked into Shen Xorn's head and transported to the Mojoverse, where they sold Juggernaut and Nocturne to Mojo and, in return, they were sent back to Earth.[4]

Black Tom lost his powers during M-Day.[5] He fought Excalibur, using technology to replicate his powers, but was defeated and turned in by his friend and former partner, Juggernaut.[6]

Tom has since shown great remorse for the death of Squid-Boy and claimed that his secondary mutation had affected his mind. Juggernaut visited him in prison, forgiving him for the death of Sammy. Tom correctly assumed that Juggernaut had not come to forgive him, but had returned because he was hearing voices again, and wanted to know if there was anyway he could find redemption. Tom told him that he did not believe redemption was possible for either of them.

He was seemingly repowered, using his powers during an encounter with Deadpool.[7]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Bio-Organic Thermokinetic Blasts: Cassidy has ability to generate blasts of concussive force or heat by using wood as the focus for his power; typically a wooden shillelagh. Following genetic engineering, Cassidy could channel the energy he generates directly through the parts of his body that were grafted to a wood-like substance.[8]

After being seriously injured by Cable, Black Tom's body was healed by an artificial wood-like growth introduced into his body. This substance initially served as a focus for his bio-blasts, and later gave him plant-control abilities.[9] The substance was surgically removed after another series of injuries, reverting him to his previous look.[10] Later, Tom underwent a Secondary Mutation which naturally recreated and improved upon the plant powers he used to have artificially.[11] The powers granted by it were:

Healing Factor: Cassidy could regenerate damaged or destroyed body parts with great speed.

Chlorokinesis: He could also mentally control all plant life within his vicinity.

Plant Consciousness: He could distribute his consciousness amongst plants he controlled.

Life-Force Absorption: Cassidy could drain the life force of organic beings.

After M-Day, Tom seemingly lost all his powers and reverted to a normal human appearance.[6] However, he has since demonstrated both bio-blasting and plant control abilities.[7] Recently he has shown to form energy barriers using his shillelagh to deflect young Scott's optic blasts.[12]

Possible Genetic Immunity: Black Tom is highly resistant, if not immune, to Banshee and Siryn's sonic screams, and they are similarly protected from his bio-blasts; which is similar to Cyclops and Havok's sibling power defunction to each other.